Criminal code revamp plan scares Indonesia’s LGBT community

JAKARTA (Reuters) — Zulfikar Fahd, an openly gay man, flew from Indonesia to Canada late last month and claimed asylum on grounds that he faced discrimination and persecution in his home country, which is poised to criminalize same-sex relations and consensual sex outside marriage.

Fahd, 30, who had worked in public relations, said he had already given up hope that the police would provide him protection against Islamic funda- mentalists who have fomented hostility toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in this Muslim-majority country, which is also the world’s thirdlargest democracy.

Police have stood by while vigilantes have stormed “gay sex parties,” and have themselves broke up gatherings at spas and hostels, charging some with violating strict pornography laws, and prompting many others to go under- ground.

The authorities have also been clamping down online, blocking many LGBT sites or getting LGBT apps removed by host companies, including dating apps.

Until now, homosexuality has not been regulated by law in Indonesia, except in the ultra-conservative Aceh province where Islamic law bans same-sex relations.

But as lawmakers look to shore up conservative votes ahead of elections, the parliament appears on the verge of revising the national criminal code to impose restrictions on same-sex relations and consensual sex between men and women outside marriage.

Various drafts of the criminal code have appeared. The latest, though not necessarily the final one, seeks the prosecution of same-sex relations if an act is carried out in public, if there is evidence of abuse or if a minor is involved.